“Enough. I need something to eat. And a shower.”
I show my teeth, ready to dominate her, but her stomach growls. The sound saps my strength. She’s the center of my world now, and her needs are my priority.
Sex can wait. I need to take care of my mate.
“Shower first.” I rise and help her up, wrapping her in the blanket, so she’s not cold. “I’ll order some food.”
I grab my phone, and it lights up with an incoming call. Eagle. I have a bunch of missed calls from him and the others, including Billy who’s still on my shit list. They’ll be wanting to know I’m all right.
“Go on in,” I urge her. “I’ll join you.”
“Please do,” she murmurs, and the smile she shoots me over her shoulder makes me want to chase her down and take her right on the floor.
Down, boy. No sense having a mate who’s too sore to walk. Although it would be a good excuse to keep her in my bed…
My phone buzzes with a voicemail and lights up again. Eagle’s going to keep calling until he hears my voice. I grab my phone and answer. “What.”
“Alpha. Thank fates.”
“What’s happening?” The water for the shower goes on, distracting me, and I lope across the room to the windows overlooking Central Park, so I can focus on this call.
“The Adalwulfs are what’s happening.”
That gets my attention. What now? We have the breech contained. “What did they do?” My voice drops an octave, my wolf snarling through. We have a mate to protect.
“It’s bad.” Eagle sounds exhausted. “They released footage of your wolf in the boardroom.”
“What? When?”
“Last night. One of Aidan’s cronies must’ve taken it when you two sparred. An email went out to everyone in our pack. It doesn’t show you shifting from human form to wolf. But everyone in our pack knows what your wolf looks like. They know it’s you. They know you were out of control.”
My mind is already spinning, evaluating.
This is bad. Really bad. Things are shifting toward Aiden’s favor. I will not allow the Adalwulfs to win again.
Not on my life.
“All right. Let’s issue a statement, do some damage control-“
“It’s too late for that. The pack’s in chaos.”
Fuck.
I close my eyes. The worst thing I could imagine is happening.
Eagle continues, “The top families in the pack have already called for a town hall meeting. Your top wolves all stand by you, you know that. Nickel and Ruby have also met with the most volatile agitators, told them you’re still our alpha. You still lead the pack.”
“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”
Eagle hesitates. “They think you’re moon mad over some human.” He doesn’t add,
Because you were.
“No. I’m not.” Not any more. That problem has been solved. I head to my closet to get dressed. “When is the meeting? I’ll be there.” A show of strength, that’s what I need. I’m almost recovered from the moon madness. I could fight if I had to.
“Is that wise? Some of the younger ones want to challenge you. No one wants to defect, but they have to know you’ll lead us.”
A growl erupts from my throat. “I am alpha. I lead the pack. I will destroy any challengers.”
“All right.” Eagle sounds relieved. He probably was worried my top wolves would have to fight all challengers for me.
“Meet me at the office,” I tell him. “You and Nickel. We’ll send out a broadcast. Round up some of the heads of families, see if we can meet with them before the meeting or one by one to prove I’m still their alpha. We’ll want all the support we can get before the pack-wide meeting.” I can fix it. I held the pack together by the skin of my teeth when my father died. I can do it again.
“And what about the human? You going to tell everyone about her?”
My brain races as I consider my options. I can’t reveal anything about Madi to the pack. Not if they already think I’m weak. She’ll have to remain my secret.
“As far as anyone’s concerned, she doesn’t exist. I fired my human secretary, like all the others. It’s no big deal.” Eagle hears the lie in my voice but doesn’t say anything. He’ll help me sell it to our pack. “I’m still in fighting form. We’ve uncovered the spy and the Adalwulfs plot and removed the threat. We’re stronger than ever.”
“So we cover up everything that happened? The fact that the human’s your…” he hesitates. He doesn’t want to say it. “Your mate?”
“What mate?” There’s a pang of guilt in my gut at rejecting Madi like this, but it’s for the greater good.
I was born an alpha, born to lead. I can’t allow anyone to distract me from that.
Not even her.
“Tell Sully to send two of the enforcers downstairs up to guard the door to my penthouse. I need Madi safe.”
“Done.” Eagle ends the call.
“Brick?” She appears, wrapped in a towel. “Weren’t you going to join me?” She sees me buttoning up my work shirt, and her playful grin drops away. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Pack stuff.”
“Pack stuff? What-“
“It’s handled.” I cut her off. My wolf hates that I’m being rude, but I don’t have time to explain the intricacies of pack hierarchy right now. Not when my pack is about to implode. “I’m heading into the office.”
“Okay. How can I help?”
“You can’t.” I grab a suit jacket and shrug it on. I don’t bother with a tie. If things go south at the pack meeting, I might have to fight a few upstarts for dominance.
“Okay. I’ll get ready… Do you have anything I can wear to work?” She’s trying to sound teasing, maybe make a joke about keeping a stash of peek-a-boob dresses here in my closet but can’t quite manage it.
“You’re not going.”
Her head jerks back. “What?”
“I’m sorry, Madi, but you’re not going back to the office-not today, not ever.”
Her face goes white like I’ve slapped her. “You said you didn’t replace me.” Her voice is dangerously quiet.
“It’s not safe for you out there. We’re under active attack by the Adalwulfs. And no, there’s nothing you can do to help. You’re not a part of it. You can’t be-you’re human. “
Her expression hardens, her walls slamming into place. I see the moment when all the trust, all the beautiful intimacy between us goes up in flames. She presses her lips together, her eyes narrowing.
The anger in her scent riles my wolf even more than the threat to my pack, but there’s nothing I can do to fix it. I’m the one who’s made her angry.
“I see.” She heads for the bed, grabbing her yoga pants and putting them on under her towel.
I can’t bear to watch her close down, shut me out. I force myself to turn and head for the door. “I have to go.”
My wolf whines like he’s been wounded. But he knows we have no choice. Madi is safe and secure here. We have to protect our pack.
She’s fully dressed, and on my heels. I whirl and pull her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
I’m sorry,
I want to say. But I can’t. Because I have to choose my pack.
One day, she might understand.
* * *
Madi
I push Brick away, incensed. “So, I’m still fired?”
His expression is pained. “For now. You can’t come to work. The situation’s…delicate.”
Delicate?
I am perfectly capable of problem-solving all the sticky situations that arise for him. Even when I was falsely accused,
I was the one who solved the mystery.
“And I can’t be trusted with the details? Have I not proven I can solve any problem?”
Brick’s expression is unyielding.
My face gets hot. “I can’t believe this.” I push past him and grab my coat.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m not staying here.”
“You can’t leave.”
Warning bells clang in my head. “What do you mean? I can’t go home?”
“No. I have to keep you safe. And a secret.”
“What?”
“Madi… our mating…it has to be a secret. No one can know.”
My stomach caves like he punched me. My throat goes dry.
“You’re human. My mating you won’t be acceptable to my pack. I could lose everything.”
I can’t believe this. It’s just like my mom and Brett-fucking-Harrington. I’m not good enough to be presented to society. But in this case, it’s wolf society.
I’m going to be sick.
“You’re a weakness to the pack. My weakness.”
I’m ice cold. “Screw this.” I yank open the front door.
Brick moves fast, somehow getting through the door first to block me.
Two beefy men stand outside like sentries. “Good morning, Alpha,” one of them says gruffly.
“Tell no one that she’s here. Guard her with your life. No one gets in” -he turns to give me an unfathomable look- “or out.”
“What?” He can’t mean that. I harden my voice. “You can’t lock me in here, Brick Blackthroat. If you leave me here now, I’ll never forgive-“
The door shuts.
Only my pride keeps me from rushing forward and beating on it, cursing the man who made me such beautiful promises. Promises that didn’t last a week.
I’ll be calm. Logical. I step forward, ready to try the door. I can reason with Brick and solve this dilemma just like I’ve solved every other one.
But my strength gives out when I hear the cold, final click of a deadbolt, and I realize I’m locked in. I’m a bird in a gilded cage. A princess in a tower.
Trapped.
Betrayed.
Utterly alone.
* * *
—-Volume 3—-
Prologue
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